Highly available network architecture for a LTE based communication network

ABSTRACT

A highly available network architecture for a LTE based communication network. Embodiments herein disclose an architecture for a highly available and resilient Long Term Evolution (LTE) based wireless communication network, wherein the network comprises of at least one Base Station (BS) further comprising of a merged LTE eNodeB (eNB) and a LTE Evolved Packet Core (EPC) entities and except for a single active BS, the other BSs can act as a backup for the currently active BS. Embodiments herein disclose a network architecture for a highly available and resilient architecture for Long Term Evolution (LTE) based wireless communication network, wherein a LTE radio interface is used for connectivity between components of the LTE communication network.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This applications claims priority from, IN Application Number 201721017966, filed on May 22, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments herein relate to Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication networks (as disclosed in 3GPP TS 36.300), and more particularly to ensuring high availability of rapidly deployable LTE communication networks over a region.

BACKGROUND

Broadly, the LTE communication network architecture involves at least one User Equipment (UE), at least one eNodeB (eNB) and Evolved Packet Core (EPC) nodes (comprising of various functional elements such as Mobility Management Entity (MME), Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW), Serving Gateway (SGW), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), and so on). An Application Server (AS) could also be a part of the network architecture, connected to the EPC (to the PGW) over the SGi interface using a wired link. The AS controls and coordinates communication amongst the UEs.

For the purpose of certain types of public safety applications, which demand rapidly deployable systems, a large and complex system comprising of multiple entities in the EPC/core, network might not be suitable. Also, several applications of public safety networks do not require the public Internet for operation, or are required to be deployed in remote regions which do not have an existing infrastructure, while providing connectivity only among the users of the service, typically over a local region.

Considering a case where the eNB fails, UEs would be cut-off from the AS and this could result in disruption of the network operations. As the eNB serves as the primary communication anchor for the UEs to connect to the EPC and AS, high availability of the eNB is very crucial for mission critical applications.

Objects

The principal object of embodiments herein is to disclose an architecture that could realize high availability and resilience in a LTE based wireless communication network, wherein the network comprises of at least one BS, wherein the BS comprises of merged LTE eNB and EPC entities.

Another object of embodiments herein is to disclose an architecture that could realize high availability and resilience in a LTE based wireless communication network, wherein the network comprises of at least one BS, wherein at any given point in time, except for a single active BS, others BSs act as a backup for the currently active BS.

Another object of embodiments herein is to disclose an architecture that could realize high availability and resilience in a LTE based wireless communication network, wherein a LTE radio interface is used for connectivity between components of the LTE communication network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Embodiments herein are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, through out which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a LTE communication network comprising of at least one BS and an AS, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;

FIGS. 2a and 2b depict examples of a backup BS starting to work as the active BS in the event of a failure of the current active BS, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;

FIG. 3 depicts the BS, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;

FIG. 4 depicts the flow of data between the UEs, the active BS, the backup BS and the AS, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;

FIGS. 5a, 5b, and 5c are flowcharts depicting the functioning of the active BS, and the backup BS, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and

FIG. 6 is a flowchart depicting the functioning of the AS, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

The embodiments herein disclose an architecture that could realize high availability and resilience in a LTE based wireless communication network. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 6, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown preferred embodiments.

Embodiments herein disclose a portable Base Station (BS) for use in Long Term Evolution (LTE) based communication networks). The BS comprises of a merger of the LTE eNB and EPC entities (such as Mobility Management Entity (MME), Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW), Serving Gateway (SGW), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), and so on) in a single node. In addition, the BS can also comprise of a UE module.

In an embodiment herein, the network can comprise of a plurality of BSs. At any given point in time, except for a single active BS, other BS nodes act as a backup for the currently active BS and can take up the role of an active BS, in case of a failure of the currently active BS. In an embodiment herein, the BS can be portable and can be mounted on vehicles (wherein the vehicles can be at least one terrestrial or flying vehicles).

Embodiments herein disclose use of a LTE radio interface for connectivity between components of the LTE communication network. For example, an Application Server (AS) can use a LTE radio interface (such as a Uu interface) to connect to the PGW of the integrated eNodeB+EPC entity in the active BS node.

The BS nodes comprise of an UE module which allows the backup BS(s) to connect to the active BS using the radio interface of the UE module and exchange information.

FIG. 1 depicts a LTE communication network comprising of at least one BS and an AS. The network 100 comprises of a plurality of BSs 101, wherein the active BS 101 is connected to an AS 102. At least one of the BSs 101 can be a portable BS. One of the BSs 101 can be an active BS 101 a, wherein the active BS can serve at least one User Equipment (UE) 103 and the other BSs 101 can serve as backup BSs 101 b (as depicted in FIG. 2a ). In an embodiment herein, the active BS 101 a can be a stationary BS, and the backup BSs 101 b can be portable BSs. In an embodiment herein, the active BS 101 a and the backup BSs 101 b can be portable BSs. In an embodiment herein, the active BS 101 a can be a stationary BS, and at least one of the backup BSs 101 b can be portable BSs. The backup BSs can be stationary BSs. Each of the BSs 101 can be connected to the AS 102 via the active BS 101, using a LTE air interface, such as a Uu interface. In an embodiment herein, the BS nodes also comprise of a UE module and the backup BS 101 b can connect to the active BS 101 a using the LTE Uu radio interface of this UE module.

As depicted in FIGS. 2a and 2b , one of the Backup BS(s) shall take over as the active BS when the currently active BS shuts down. The currently active BS could gracefully shutdown by intimating the AS of its impending failure, which would allow the AS to determine one of the backup BS(s) to serve as the active BS. When the active BS shuts down suddenly, the AS cannot reach the backup BS(s) and cannot designate a new active BS from among the backup BS(s). A predefined static ordering can enable one of the backup BS nodes to switch to active role in such a scenario. Thus, one of the backup BS(s) could take over as active BS on receiving a command from the AS in the event of graceful shutdown of active BS or based on the predefined configuration in the event of sudden failure of active BS.

In an embodiment herein, the network 100 can comprise of a preconfigured static ordering of the BSs 101, which can enable one of the backup BS nodes to switch to the active role in the absence of any instructions from the AS 102 in the event of sudden shutdown of currently active BS. A static ordering could be defined for one or more BS nodes deployed initially. With the introduction of new BS nodes or depending on the deployment scenario and exact application, the static ordering could be updated or extended as required. The BS(s) shall also follow the pre-defined static ordering for determining an active BS, if more than one BS is deployed initially. The static management of the BS(s) can include methods for handshaking between the BS(s) while trying to establish an active BS initially or thereafter due to sudden failure of currently active BS.

FIG. 3 depicts the BS. The BS 101 comprises of a controller 301, an integrated eNB+EPC module 302, and a UE 303. The controller 301 manages the use of the integrated eNB+EPC module 302, and the UE 303 in the BS depending on the role of the BS node. In an embodiment herein, the controller 301 can enable the BS 101 to serve as the active BS by enabling the use of the eNB+EPC module 302 and the corresponding radio interface to allow the AS and backup BS nodes to connect to it. The controller 301 can enable the eNB+EPC module 302 for the BS to serve as active BS based on a pre-defined static configuration. The controller 301 can activate the eNB+EPC module 302 for the BS to serve as active BS, based on the instructions from the AS 102 in case of a graceful shutdown of the active BS. When the BS node is to serve as a redundant backup node, the controller 301 enables the use of the UE 303 and the corresponding radio interface to connect to the active BS and to update the AS 102 of its status. The backup BS(s) would use the UE 303 and corresponding radio interface to only participate in handshaking and exchange of status/instructions with the AS 102 via the active BS, unlike the typical UEs in the network which would be involved in the actual applications of the network such as calls, video streaming and so on.

The AS 102 comprises of a UE module 401 and would require additional hardware/software capabilities depending on the exact application. For instance, in a mission critical LTE network supporting video streaming from UEs to the AS 102, the AS 102 can comprise of additional memory/storage capabilities compared to a typical UE in the network. The eNB+EPC module 302 can further comprise of an eNB 302 a, an EPC 302 b, and the proxy entity 302 c. The AS 102 shall attach to the active BS using the UE 401, further to which the AS 102 shall register its identity with a proxy entity 302 c in the active BS. As depicted in FIG. 4, the proxy entity 302 c in the integrated eNB+EPC module 302 of the active BS, shall maintain a route entry/rule to automatically loopback data flows from the UEs/backup BS(s) to the AS 102 and vice-versa. Data received from a UE at the active BS via the Uu LTE radio interface of the eNB 302 a, shall be looped back to the AS 102 via the same Uu radio interface. In the event of one of the backup BS(s) becoming active BS, the AS 102 shall attach and register itself with the Proxy entity 302 c of the new active BS dynamically, using the wireless LTE radio interface of its UE module and does not have any other physical connection requirements. This mechanism shall allow the smooth flow of data from UEs received on the uplink and then forwarded on the downlink to the AS 102.

FIGS. 5a, 5b, and 5c are flowcharts depicting the functioning of the active BS, and the backup BS. As depicted in FIG. 5a , initially the BS(s) assume (502) the role of the backup BS 101 b (503) or the active BS 101 a (504) based on pre-configured static ordering (501). FIGS. 5b and 5c depict the subsequent role played by the active BS 101 a and backup BS 101 b.

FIG. 5b depicts an embodiment wherein the active BS informs the AS of its impending shutdown. The active BS 101 a enables (505) relevant modules such as the integrated eNB+EPC module 302 and the corresponding radio interface and announces (506) the availability of the network. This enables entities such as the UEs, backup BSs 101 b and the AS 102 to attach to the active BS 101 a over the LTE radio interface. The active BS 101 a setups (507) the proxy entity 302 c to route data between the connected entities. The active BS 101 a further routes (508) data between the connected entities as required. In case of an impending shutdown (509), the active BS 101 a sends (510) a notification of its impending shutdown to the AS 102, and then shuts (511) down.

In FIG. 5 c, the backup BS 101 b enables (512) the UE 304 and the corresponding radio interface and attaches (513) to the active BS 101 a over the radio interface. The backup BS 101 b provides (514) information to the AS 102, as required by an election mechanism used by the AS 102. This information can comprise of current location of the backup BS 101 b, battery/power of the backup BS 101 b, transmit power and height (in case BS(s) are mounted on UAVs) of the backup BS 101 b, and so on. If the backup BS 101 b is unable (515) to reach the active BS 101 a, the backup BS 101 b checks (516) if it has received instructions from the AS 102 to serve as the active BS 101 a. If the backup BS 101 b has received instructions from the AS 102 to serve as the active BS 101 a, further to the impending shutdown of the currently active BS, the backup BS 101 b assumes the role of active BS. If the backup BS 101 b has not received instructions from the AS 102 to serve as the active BS 101 a, the backup BS 101 b checks (517) if it is able to identify a new active BS 101 a that could have been designated by the AS further to the graceful shutdown of the previously active BS, before the expiry of a pre-configured timeout. If the new active BS 101 a has been identified before a pre-configured timeout, the backup BS 101 b connects to the new active BS 101 a by continuing to step 512. If the new active BS 101 a has not been identified before a pre-configured timeout, further to the sudden failure of the active BS, the process goes to step 501 for one of the backup BS(s) to come up as the active BS based on the pre-defined static ordering. The various actions in method 500 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c may be omitted.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart depicting the functioning of the AS. The AS 102 shall serve as the controlling entity for managing the active BS and the plurality of backup BS(s) and shall be able to designate one of the backup BS(s) as the active BS using an election mechanism, when there is a possibility of graceful shutdown of the currently active BS. The AS 102 attaches (601) to the active BS 101 a using the LTE air interface and registers (602) its identity with the proxy entity 302 c. The AS 102 maintains (603) status information of all BSs (101 a, 101 b ), using periodic updates received from the BSs (101 a, 101 b ). The AS 102 can distinguish status updates sent by backup BS(s) from the data traffic from actual UEs through appropriate application level handling and shall maintain the state of all the BS(s). On receiving (604) a notification of an impending shutdown from the active BS 101 a, the AS 102 determines (605) at least one backup BS 101 b that can serve as the active BS 101 a. The AS 102 can determine this using an election mechanism based on factors such as the current location, power/battery status, transmit power and height (in case BS(s) are mounted on UAVs) of the backup BS 101 b, the bandwidth requirements of the UEs and the number of UEs to be served. The AS 102 can prioritize among these factors or appropriately weigh the different factors while selecting an active BS, depending on the exact application or deployment scenario. In an embodiment herein, the AS shall identify the impending shutdown of the active BS based on factors such as Battery/Power status or Signal Strength, which could be periodically transmitted by the active BS. The AS 102 further sends (606) a command to at least one backup BS 101 b that can serve as the active BS 101 a. The various actions in method 600 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 6 may be omitted.

The architecture allows for rapid deployment due to an integrated BS and usage of LTE radio interface for communication between components. As the need to physically setup the wired link between BS and AS is eliminated, the AS can automatically connect to a new active BS node, in case the currently active BS goes down due to an eventuality. In this way, it is possible to autonomously maintain a sustained connection between UEs and the AS using a multitude of BSs reducing the impact of any mishaps. The AS could be mobile and also be easily replaced, if required.

Embodiments herein are able to achieve a highly available and resilient network architecture with support for sustained communication between users even if multiple BSs go down one after another, by using a plurality of backup BS nodes and usage of the LTE air interface for connecting all network components.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein. 

We claim:
 1. A Long Term Evolution (LTE) based communication network (100), comprising of at least one active Base Station (101 a), at least one backup BS (101 b), and at least one Application Server (AS) (102), wherein the at least one backup BS (101 b) starts working as the active BS, on the active BS (101 a) failing.
 2. The network, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active BS (101 a) is at least one of a portable BS; and a stationary BS.
 3. The network, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the backup BS (101 b) is at least one of a portable BS; and a stationary BS.
 4. The network, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the AS (102) is connected to the active BS (101 a) using a LTE air interface.
 5. The network, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active BS (101 a) is further configured for enabling modules comprising of an integrated eNB+EPC module (302) and a corresponding radio interface; setting up a proxy entity (302 c); and enabling at least one device to communicate with the AS (102) through the active BS (101 a) using the proxy entity (302 c), the integrated eNB+EPC module (302) and the corresponding radio interface.
 6. The network, as claimed in claim 5, wherein the active BS (101 a) is further configured for sending a notification of impending shutdown to the AS (102).
 7. The network, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the backup BS (101 b) is configured for attaching to the active BS (101 a) using a UE (303); and providing at least one information required for an election mechanism to the AS (102) via the active BS (101 a).
 8. The network, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the AS (102) is configured for monitoring the BS(s) (101); maintaining the at least one information required for the election mechanism from the BS(s) (101 a, 101 b ); determining at least one backup BS (101 b) that can serve as the active BS using an election mechanism, on being notified by the active BS (101 a) of its impending shutdown; and sending a command to the at least one determined backup BS (101 b); and the determined backup BS (101 b) configured for acting as the active BS, on receiving the command from the AS (102).
 9. The network, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network (100) comprises of a preconfigured static ordering of the BSs (101 b), which enables one of the backup BS nodes to switch to the active BS in absence of any instructions from the AS 102 due to sudden shutdown of the active BS.
 10. The network, as claimed in claim 9, wherein the preconfigured static ordering is updated, as required.
 11. The network, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active BS (101 a) is configured for maintaining a route entry/rule to automatically loopback data flows from the UEs/backup BS(s) to the AS (102) and vice-versa.
 12. A method for communicating using a Long Term Evolution (LTE) based communication network (100), the network (100) comprising of at least one active Base Station (101 a), at least one backup BS (101 b), and at least one Application Server (AS) (102), the method comprising the at least one backup BS (101 b) starting to work as the active BS, on the active BS (101 a) failing.
 13. The method, as claimed in claim 12, wherein the active BS (101 a) is at least one of a portable BS; and a stationary BS.
 14. The method, as claimed in claim 12, wherein the backup BS (101 b) is at least one of a portable BS; and a stationary BS.
 15. The method, as claimed in claim 12, wherein the AS (102) is connected to the active BS (101 a) using a LTE air interface.
 16. The method, as claimed in claim 12, wherein the method further comprises enabling modules comprising of an integrated eNB+EPC module (302) and a corresponding radio interface by the active BS (101 a); and setting up a proxy entity (302 c) by the active BS (101 a); and enabling at least one device to communicate with the AS (102) through the active BS (101 a) using the proxy entity (302 c), the integrated eNB+EPC module (302) and the corresponding radio interface.
 17. The method, as claimed in claim 16, wherein the method further comprises of the active BS (101 a) sending a notification of impending shutdown to the AS (102).
 18. The method, as claimed in claim 12, wherein the method further comprises attaching to the active BS (101 a) using a UE (303) by the backup BS (101 b); and providing at least one information required for an election mechanism to the AS (102) via the active BS (101 a) by the backup BS (101 b).
 19. The method, as claimed in claim 12, wherein the method further comprises monitoring of the BS(s) (101) by the AS (102); maintaining the at least one information required for the election mechanism from the BS(s) (101 a, 101 b ) by the AS (102); determining at least one backup BS (101 b) by the AS (102) that can serve as the active BS using the election mechanism, on being notified by the active BS (101 a) of its impending shutdown; sending a command by the AS (102) to the at least one determined backup BS (101 b); and acting as the active BS by the determined backup BS (101 b), on receiving the command from the AS (102).
 20. The method, as claimed in claim 12, wherein the method further comprises of setting up a preconfigured static ordering of the BSs (101 b), which enables one of the backup BS nodes to switch to the active BS in absence of any instructions from the AS 102 due to sudden shutdown of the active BS.
 21. The method, as claimed in claim 20, wherein the method further comprises of providing support for updating the preconfigured static ordering as required.
 22. The method, as claimed in claim 12, wherein the method further comprises maintaining a route entry/rule to automatically loopback data flows from the UEs/backup BS(s) to the AS (102) and vice-versa by the active BS (101 a).
 23. A Base Station (BS) (101 a) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) based communication network (100), the network (100) comprising of at least one backup BS (101 b), and at least one Application Server (AS) (102), wherein the BS (101 a) is configured for enabling modules comprising of an integrated eNB+EPC module (302) and a corresponding radio interface; setting up a proxy entity (302 c); and enabling at least one device to communicate with the AS (102) through the active BS (101 a) using the proxy entity (302 c), the integrated eNB+EPC module (302) and the corresponding radio interface.
 24. The BS, as claimed in claim 23, wherein the BS (101 a) is at least one of a portable BS; and a stationary BS.
 25. The BS, as claimed in claim 23, wherein the AS (102) is connected to the BS (101 a) using a LTE air interface.
 26. The BS, as claimed in claim 23, wherein the BS (101 a) is further configured for sending a notification of impending shutdown to the AS (102).
 27. The BS, as claimed in claim 23, wherein the BS (101 a) is further configured for providing at least one information required for an election mechanism received from at least one backup BS (101 b) to the AS (102).
 28. The BS, as claimed in claim 23, wherein the BS (101 a) is further configured for maintaining a route entry/rule to automatically loopback data flows from the UEs/backup BS(s) to the AS (102) and vice-versa.
 29. A Base Station (BS) (101 b) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) based communication network (100), the network comprising of at least one active Base Station (101 a), and at least one Application Server (AS) (102), wherein the BS (101 b) is configured to start working as the active BS, on the active BS (101 a) failing.
 30. The BS, as claimed in claim 29, wherein the BS (101 b) is at least one of a portable BS; and a stationary BS.
 31. The BS, as claimed in claim 29, wherein the BS (101 b) is configured for attaching to the active BS (101 a) using a UE (303); and providing at least one information required for an election mechanism to the AS (102) via the active BS (101 a).
 32. The BS, as claimed in claim 29, wherein the BS (101 b) is configured for acting as the active BS, on receiving the command from the AS (102).
 33. The BS, as claimed in claim 29, wherein the BS (101 b) is configured for acting as the active BS using a preconfigured static ordering of the BSs (101 b), in absence of any instructions from the AS 102 due to sudden shutdown of the active BS (101 a).
 34. The BS, as claimed in claim 29, wherein the BS (101 b) is configured to start working as the active BS by enabling modules comprising of an integrated eNB+EPC module (302) and a corresponding radio interface; setting up a proxy entity (302 c); and enabling at least one device to communicate with the AS (102) through the active BS (101 a) using the proxy entity (302 c), the integrated eNB+EPC module (302) and the corresponding radio interface.
 35. An Application Server (AS) (102) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) based communication network (100), the network (100) comprising of at least one active Base Station (101 a), and at least one backup BS (101 b), the AS (102) configured for monitoring the BS(s) (101); maintaining the at least one information required for the election mechanism received from the BS(s) (101 a, 101 b ); determining at least one backup BS (101 b) that can serve as the active BS using the election mechanism, on being notified by the active BS (101 a) of its impending shutdown; and sending a command to the at least one determined backup BS (101 b) to act as the active BS.
 36. The AS, as claimed in claim 35, wherein the AS (102) is connected to the active BS (101 a) using a LTE air interface. 